U.S. patent application number 12/712966 was filed with the patent office on 2011-08-25 for electronic display of sheet music.
This patent application is currently assigned to QUALCOMM Incorporated. Invention is credited to Vijayalakshmi Raveendran.
Application Number | 20110203442 12/712966 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44475372 |
Filed Date | 2011-08-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110203442 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Raveendran; Vijayalakshmi |
August 25, 2011 |
ELECTRONIC DISPLAY OF SHEET MUSIC
Abstract
This disclosure relates to techniques, devices, and systems for
displaying sheet music on one or more electronic devices. One
example method of displaying sheet music on an electronic device
includes receiving a first electronic input that indicates timing
information for a musical composition. The method also includes
determining, by an electronic device, a timing parameter for the
musical composition using the received first electronic input
indicating the timing information, and displaying, on the
electronic device, sheet music for a first portion of a plurality
of portions of the musical composition. The method further includes
determining a time duration associated with the first portion based
on the timing parameter, and displaying, on the electronic device,
sheet music for a second portion of the plurality of portions of
the musical composition following an expiration of the time
duration.
Inventors: |
Raveendran; Vijayalakshmi;
(San Diego, CA) |
Assignee: |
QUALCOMM Incorporated
San Diego
CA
|
Family ID: |
44475372 |
Appl. No.: |
12/712966 |
Filed: |
February 25, 2010 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
84/483.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G10G 1/00 20130101; G09B
15/023 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
84/483.1 |
International
Class: |
G09B 15/00 20060101
G09B015/00 |
Claims
1. A method of displaying sheet music on an electronic device, the
method comprising: receiving a first electronic input that
indicates timing information for a musical composition;
determining, by an electronic device, a timing parameter for the
musical composition using the received first electronic input
indicating the timing information; displaying, on the electronic
device, sheet music for a first portion of a plurality of portions
of the musical composition; determining a time duration associated
with the first portion based on the timing parameter; and
displaying, on the electronic device, sheet music for a second
portion of the plurality of portions of the musical composition
following an expiration of the time duration.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic input
indicates a number of musical beats, the number of musical beats to
be played over a length of time.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic input
comprises a tempo descriptor, and wherein the method further
comprises accessing from an electronic storage location an
indicator of a predetermined number of musical beats associated
with the tempo descriptor.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the timing parameter indicates a
time-per-musical-beat for the musical composition, and wherein
determining the timing parameter comprises dividing a time period
by a number of musical beats.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the time duration for
the first portion comprises multiplying the time-per-musical-beat
for the musical composition by a number of musical beats associated
with the first portion.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein the time duration for the first
portion indicates a time duration of one measure of the musical
composition, and wherein determining the time duration of the one
measure of the musical composition comprises multiplying the
time-per-musical-beat for the musical composition by a number of
musical beats per measure of the musical composition.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying on the
electronic device an indicator of position within the portion of
the musical composition displayed on the electronic device.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the musical
composition is contiguous with the first portion of the musical
composition.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the musical
composition is not contiguous with the first portion of the musical
composition, and wherein the second portion precedes the first
portion within the musical composition.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying of sheet music
for the first portion is discontinued following the expiration of
the time duration.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying of sheet music
for the first portion is continued following the expiration of the
time duration.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a second
electronic input that indicates a comment related to the sheet
music for the first portion; and transmitting an electronic message
for receipt by another electronic device, wherein the electronic
message instructs the another electronic device to display the
comment related to the sheet music for the first portion.
13. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an
electronic message for receipt by another electronic device,
wherein the electronic message is used by the another electronic
device to synchronize with the electronic device.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the timing information is
derived from the sheet music.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the timing information is
derived using character analysis or pattern recognition.
16. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for
causing one or more processors to: receive a first electronic input
that indicates timing information for a musical composition;
determine a timing parameter for the musical composition using the
received first electronic input indicating the timing information;
display, on an electronic device, sheet music for a first portion
of a plurality of portions of the musical composition; determine a
time duration associated with the first portion based on the timing
parameter; and display, on the electronic device, sheet music for a
second portion of the plurality of portions of the musical
composition following an expiration of the time duration.
17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the
first electronic input indicates a number of musical beats, the
number of musical beats to be played over a length of time.
18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the
first electronic input comprises a tempo descriptor, and further
comprising instructions for causing the one or more processors to
access from an electronic storage location an indicator of a
predetermined number of musical beats associated with the tempo
descriptor.
19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the
timing parameter indicates a time-per-musical-beat for the musical
composition, and wherein determining the timing parameter comprises
dividing a time period by a number of musical beats.
20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein
determining the time duration for the first portion comprises
multiplying the time-per-musical-beat for the musical composition
by a number of musical beats associated with the first portion.
21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the
time duration for the first portion indicates a time duration of
one measure of the musical composition, and wherein determining the
time duration of the one measure of the musical composition
comprises multiplying the time-per-musical-beat for the musical
composition by a number of musical beats per measure of the musical
composition.
22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further
comprising instructions for causing the one or more processors to
display on the electronic device an indicator of position within
the portion of the musical composition displayed on the electronic
device.
23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the
second portion of the musical composition is contiguous with the
first portion of the musical composition.
24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the
second portion of the musical composition is not contiguous with
the first portion of the musical composition, and wherein the
second portion precedes the first portion within the musical
composition.
25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the
display of sheet music for the first portion is discontinued
following the expiration of the time duration.
26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the
display of sheet music for the first portion is continued following
the expiration of the time duration.
27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further
comprising instructions for causing the one or more processors to:
receive a second electronic input that indicates a comment related
to the sheet music for the first portion; and transmit an
electronic message for receipt by another electronic device,
wherein the electronic message instructs the another electronic
device to display the comment related to the sheet music for the
first portion.
28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further
comprising instructions for causing the one or more processors to
transmit an electronic message for receipt by another electronic
device, wherein the electronic message is used by the another
electronic device to synchronize with the electronic device.
29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the
timing information is derived from the sheet music.
30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein the
timing information is derived using character analysis or pattern
recognition.
31. An electronic device, comprising: means for receiving a first
electronic input that indicates timing information for a musical
composition; means for determining, by an electronic device, a
timing parameter for the musical composition using the received
first electronic input indicating the timing information; means for
displaying, on the electronic device, sheet music for a first
portion of a plurality of portions of the musical composition;
means for determining a time duration associated with the first
portion based on the timing parameter; and means for displaying, on
the electronic device, sheet music for a second portion of the
plurality of portions of the musical composition following an
expiration of the time duration.
32. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the first electronic
input indicates a number of musical beats, the number of musical
beats to be played over a length of time.
33. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the first electronic
input comprises a tempo descriptor, and further comprising means
for accessing from an electronic storage location an indicator of a
predetermined number of musical beats associated with the tempo
descriptor.
34. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the timing parameter
indicates a time-per-musical-beat for the musical composition, and
wherein determining the timing parameter comprises dividing a time
period by a number of musical beats.
35. The electronic device of claim 34, wherein determining the time
duration for the first portion comprises multiplying the
time-per-musical-beat for the musical composition by a number of
musical beats associated with the first portion.
36. The electronic device of claim 34, wherein the time duration
for the first portion indicates a time duration of one measure of
the musical composition, and wherein determining the time duration
of the one measure of the musical composition comprises multiplying
the time-per-musical-beat for the musical composition by a number
of musical beats per measure of the musical composition.
37. The electronic device of claim 31, further comprising means for
displaying on the electronic device an indicator of position within
the portion of the musical composition displayed on the electronic
device.
38. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the second portion
of the musical composition is contiguous with the first portion of
the musical composition.
39. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the second portion
of the musical composition is not contiguous with the first portion
of the musical composition, and wherein the second portion precedes
the first portion within the musical composition.
40. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the display of sheet
music for the first portion is discontinued following the
expiration of the time duration.
41. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the display of sheet
music for the first portion is continued following the expiration
of the time duration.
42. The electronic device of claim 31, further comprising means
for: receiving a second electronic input that indicates a comment
related to the sheet music for the first portion; and transmitting
an electronic message for receipt by another electronic device,
wherein the electronic message instructs the another electronic
device to display the comment related to the sheet music for the
first portion.
43. The electronic device of claim 31, further comprising means for
transmitting an electronic message for receipt by another
electronic device, wherein the electronic message is used by the
another electronic device to synchronize with the electronic
device.
44. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the timing
information is derived from the sheet music.
45. The electronic device of claim 44, wherein the timing
information is derived using character analysis or pattern
recognition.
46. An electronic device, comprising: one or more processors; a
display screen; a first module operable by the one or more
processors to determine a timing parameter for a musical
composition using a first electronic input that indicates timing
information for the musical composition; a second module operable
by the one or more processors to determine a time duration
associated with a first portion of a plurality of portions of the
musical composition based on the timing parameter; and a third
module operable by the one or more processors to display, on the
display screen, sheet music for the first portion of the musical
composition, and to display, on the display screen, sheet music for
a second portion of the plurality of portions of the musical
composition following an expiration of the time duration.
47. The electronic device of claim 46, wherein the first electronic
input indicates a number of musical beats, the number of musical
beats to be played over a length of time.
48. The electronic device of claim 46, wherein the first electronic
input comprises a tempo descriptor, and further comprising a fourth
module operable by the one or more processors to access from an
electronic storage location an indicator of a predetermined number
of musical beats associated with the tempo descriptor.
49. The electronic device of claim 46, wherein the timing parameter
indicates a time-per-musical-beat for the musical composition, and
wherein determining the timing parameter comprises dividing a time
period by a number of musical beats.
50. The electronic device of claim 49, wherein determining the time
duration for the first portion comprises multiplying the
time-per-musical-beat for the musical composition by a number of
musical beats associated with the first portion.
51. The electronic device of claim 49, wherein the time duration
for the first portion indicates a time duration of one measure of
the musical composition, and wherein determining the time duration
of the one measure of the musical composition comprises multiplying
the time-per-musical-beat for the musical composition by a number
of musical beats per measure of the musical composition.
52. The electronic device of claim 46, further comprising a fourth
module operable by the one or more processors to display on the
electronic device an indicator of position within the portion of
the musical composition displayed on the electronic device.
53. The electronic device of claim 46, wherein the second portion
of the musical composition is contiguous with the first portion of
the musical composition.
54. The electronic device of claim 46, wherein the second portion
of the musical composition is not contiguous with the first portion
of the musical composition, and wherein the second portion precedes
the first portion within the musical composition.
55. The electronic device of claim 46, wherein the display of sheet
music for the first portion is discontinued following the
expiration of the time duration.
56. The electronic device of claim 46, wherein the display of sheet
music for the first portion is continued following the expiration
of the time duration.
57. The electronic device of claim 46, further comprising a fourth
module operable by the one or more processors to: receive a second
electronic input that indicates a comment related to the sheet
music for the first portion; and transmit an electronic message for
receipt by another electronic device, wherein the electronic
message instructs the another electronic device to display the
comment related to the sheet music for the first portion.
58. The electronic device of claim 46, further comprising a fourth
module operable by the one or more processors to transmit an
electronic message for receipt by another electronic device,
wherein the electronic message is used by the another electronic
device to synchronize with the electronic device.
59. The electronic device of claim 46, wherein the timing
information is derived from the sheet music.
60. The electronic device of claim 59, wherein the timing
information is derived using character analysis or pattern
recognition.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This disclosure relates to displaying sheet music, and in
particular to displaying sheet music on an electronic device.
BACKGROUND
[0002] "Sheet music," or alternatively a "musical score," is used
to provide a visual representation of a musical work, such as a
musical composition or arrangement. As a form of musical notation,
sheet music can include musical notes, symbols, numbers, letters,
words, and an arrangement of lines and separating spaces that the
foregoing can be placed on or near to convey aspects of the musical
work. A musician can then read the sheet music and play a musical
instrument in accordance with the information conveyed by the sheet
music. Sheet music may be written for a particular musical
instrument, or may be written to apply to more than one type of
musical instrument.
[0003] Historically, sheet music has been printed on paper. Because
sheet music for a musical composition can frequently include
several pages, a musician playing an instrument and concurrently
reading the printed paper sheet music may manually turn or flip the
pages of the sheet music at appropriate times, perhaps pausing
momentarily to perform the manual action of flipping the page.
[0004] Recently, a product that displays music on an electronic
display device has been developed. The display device includes a
touch screen that can be manually tapped by a musician to advance
the display to the next page of the music, or a foot pedal that can
be manually actuated to cause the next page to be displayed.
Similar to flipping a paper page of sheet music, touching the touch
screen or tapping the foot pedal involves a manual action by the
musician while the music is being played, and in the case of the
foot pedal also adds a hardware component to the musician's
set.
SUMMARY
[0005] This disclosure relates to techniques, devices, and systems
for displaying sheet music on one or more electronic devices.
[0006] In a first general aspect, a method of displaying sheet
music on an electronic device includes receiving a first electronic
input that indicates timing information for a musical composition.
The method also includes determining, by an electronic device, a
timing parameter for the musical composition using the received
first electronic input indicating the timing information, and
displaying, on the electronic device, sheet music for a first
portion of a plurality of portions of the musical composition. The
method further includes determining a time duration associated with
the first portion based on the timing parameter, and displaying, on
the electronic device, sheet music for a second portion of the
plurality of portions of the musical composition following an
expiration of the time duration.
[0007] In a second general aspect, a computer-readable storage
medium includes instructions for causing one or more processors to
receive a first electronic input that indicates timing information
for a musical composition and determine a timing parameter for the
musical composition using the received first electronic input
indicating the timing information. The computer-readable storage
medium also includes instructions for causing the one or more
processors to display, on an electronic device, sheet music for a
first portion of a plurality of portions of the musical
composition. The computer-readable storage medium further includes
instructions for causing the one or more processors to determine a
time duration associated with the first portion based on the timing
parameter, and display, on the electronic device, sheet music for a
second portion of the plurality of portions of the musical
composition following an expiration of the time duration.
[0008] In a third general aspect, an electronic device includes
means for receiving a first electronic input that indicates timing
information for a musical composition, and means for determining,
by an electronic device, a timing parameter for the musical
composition using the received first electronic input indicating
the timing information. The electronic device also includes means
for displaying, on the electronic device, sheet music for a first
portion of a plurality of portions of the musical composition. The
electronic device further includes means for determining a time
duration associated with the first portion based on the timing
parameter, and means for displaying, on the electronic device,
sheet music for a second portion of the plurality of portions of
the musical composition following an expiration of the time
duration.
[0009] In a fourth general aspect, an electronic device includes
one or more processors, and a display screen. The electronic device
also includes a first module operable by the one or more processors
to determine a timing parameter for a musical composition using a
first electronic input that indicates timing information for the
musical composition. The electronic device further includes a
second module operable by the one or more processors to determine a
time duration associated with a first portion of a plurality of
portions of the musical composition based on the timing parameter.
The electronic device further includes a third module operable by
the one or more processors to display, on the display screen, sheet
music for the first portion of the musical composition, and to
display, on the display screen, sheet music for a second portion of
the plurality of portions of the musical composition following an
expiration of the time duration.
[0010] The details of one or more aspects are set forth in the
accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,
objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and
drawings, and from the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system that includes an
exemplary electronic device that may be used to display sheet
music.
[0012] FIGS. 2a and 2b are depictions of example electronic devices
that can each be used to display sheet music for a musical
composition.
[0013] FIGS. 3a, 3b, and 3c are depictions of example electronic
devices that can each be used to display sheet music for a musical
composition.
[0014] FIG. 4 is a depiction of an exemplary device that can be
used to display sheet music.
[0015] FIGS. 5a, 5b, and 5c are depictions of exemplary devices
that can each be used to display sheet music.
[0016] FIG. 6 is block diagram of an exemplary system that includes
a plurality of communicably coupled devices that may each be used
to display sheet music.
[0017] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a method
that may be performed by an electronic device to display sheet
music.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] This disclosure describes devices, systems, and techniques
for displaying sheet music on one or more electronic devices. FIG.
1 is a block diagram of a system 2 that includes an exemplary
electronic device 4 that may be used to display sheet music. The
electronic device 4 may be communicably coupled to a network 6,
over which the electronic device 4 may communicate with a music
vendor 8, a music repository 10, and one or more other electronic
devices (not shown), each of which may also be communicably coupled
to the network 6. For example, the electronic device 4 may
communicate with the music vendor 8 over the network 6 to purchase
an electronic copy of a musical work, or may obtain an electronic
copy of a musical work from the music repository 10 over the
network 6. The electronic device 4 may display sheet music for the
musical work on an electronic display screen 12 of the electronic
device 4.
[0019] In the depicted example, the electronic device 4 includes a
synchronization module 14. In some examples, the synchronization
module 14 can be used to synchronize display of sheet music on the
electronic device 4 with a performance of the music. For example,
sheet music for a musical work, composition, or arrangement may be
partitioned for display on the electronic display 12 into two or
more pages or portions of sheet music, and particular pages or
portions of the sheet music may be displayed on the electronic
display 12 at appropriate times as a musician is playing the
musical composition.
[0020] Display transitions between pages or portions of the musical
composition may occur automatically and without a manual input or
other type of input from the musician while the musician is
performing the musical composition, according to some examples. For
example, the electronic device 4 may display sheet music for a
first portion 16 of the musical composition on the display 12 at a
first time (e.g., at "Display Time 1" in FIG. 1). The
synchronization module 14 may synchronize display of the first
portion 16 with the musician's performance of the musical
composition, and the device 4 may display sheet music for a second
portion 18 of the musical composition on the display 12 at a second
time (e.g., at "Display Time 2" in FIG. 1), which may be at or near
a time when the musician finishes playing the first portion 16. As
such, the musician may focus on performing the musical work without
worrying about having to manually turn a page or provide some other
type of input while playing the music, or at any time after
beginning play of the music, to cause a page change. Because manual
page-turning can be distracting to a musician, and in some cases
can introduce an undesirable pause in the aural rendition of the
musical work when no pause was intended by the composer, the
techniques disclosed herein may provide a more satisfying musical
experience for the musician, and also for those listening to the
musical performance, in some cases.
[0021] In some examples, the synchronization module 14 may
determine a timing parameter for the musical composition. The
device 4 may receive an electronic input that indicates timing
information for the musical composition, and the synchronization
module 14 may use the input that indicates the timing information
to derive the timing parameter. In some examples, the timing
information may indicate a tempo for the musical composition. In
some examples, the synchronization module 14 may use the timing
parameter to determine a time duration associated with a portion of
the musical composition, where the musical composition may be
partitioned into two or more portions for separate display on the
electronic display 12. Sheet music for a first portion 16 of the
musical composition may be displayed on the electronic device, a
time corresponding to a time duration associated with the first
portion may be measured, and sheet music for a second portion 18 of
the musical composition may be displayed on the electronic device
following an expiration of the time duration. In this fashion,
sheet music for the musical composition may be displayed on the
electronic device 4, and each portion of the composition may be
displayed for a time appropriate for the playing of the portion by
a musician.
[0022] Network 6 may be a wired or wireless network, or a
combination of two or more networks. For example, network 6 may
include portions of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network
(WAN), the Internet, a wireless phone/communications network, a
wireless local area network, and the like. Music vendor 8 may, for
instance, be an online music store that sells sheet music for
musical compositions on a per-composition basis, for example, or
via a subscription-type arrangement where the music vendor provides
access to a larger number of musical compositions in return for
payment of a predetermined fee. Music repository 10 may, in some
examples, be an online public domain collection of musical works,
for example. Alternatively, music repository 10 may be any storage
location that provides access to musical compositions and is
accessible via the network 6. For example, conductors, composers,
collectors, or musicians may maintain personal music collections,
and music repository 10 may represent such a collection if the
owner makes the collection available for sharing.
[0023] In some cases, some pieces of sheet music can include
personalized modifications to the music, such as notations that
indicate suggested fingering, or dynamics or articulation
notations. Some examples of sheet music can include augmentations
that supplement the sheet music and add a context to the sheet
music. For example, a piece of sheet music may include a
description of the music, of the music's composer, or of historical
aspects related to the music. Alternatively, sheet music may
include one or more trivia questions, which may be related to the
music in some aspects. For example, questions similar to the "Piano
Puzzlers" on the National Public Radio web site are examples of
augmentations that may be included in some versions of sheet music
that can be displayed according to the techniques, devices, and
systems discussed herein.
[0024] In various examples, a single electronic device 4, or a
collection of two or more electronic devices including device 4,
which may be communicably coupled, may be used to display sheet
music. For example, a solo musician may use a single electronic
device 4 to display sheet music while practicing or performing a
musical composition. Two devices 4 may be used, for example, during
a music lesson where a student and a teacher each read sheet music
from a respective electronic device 4. As another example, each
instrument-playing member of a symphony orchestra, as well as the
conductor, may read sheet music displayed by a respective
electronic device 4 while the orchestra collectively performs a
musical work.
[0025] A group of musicians physically separated from one another
in remote locations may similarly collaborate to collectively or
individually perform a musical work. For example, each musician may
read sheet music displayed on a respective electronic device 4, and
the devices may be communicably coupled over a network 6, such as
the Internet, and provide synchronized presentation of the sheet
music to coincide with the performance. Aspects of the techniques
disclosed herein may permit synchronization of play across a
network in a simple and efficient fashion. For example, the
techniques disclose herein may avoid extracting and analyzing audio
samples, and may operate without compensating for delays in the
network. By avoiding these steps, complex processing using
sophisticated audio processors may be unnecessary.
[0026] FIGS. 2a-b are depictions of an example electronic device
100 that can be used to display sheet music for a musical
composition. For example, electronic device 100 may correspond to
the device 4 shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2a, a first page 102a of
sheet music for an example musical composition or work is displayed
on a display 103 of the electronic device. In FIG. 2b, a second
page 102b of sheet music for the musical work is displayed. In
various examples, the device 100 may synchronize display of the
sheet music with a musical performance of the work, and may update
the display at appropriate times so that a musician need not make a
manual input to cause a page change after beginning play.
[0027] For example, the first page 102a may be displayed, as shown
in FIG. 2a, while a first portion of the work is being played, and
the second page 102b may be displayed, as shown in FIG. 2b, while a
second portion of the work is being played. The title of the
musical work 100 in this particular non-limiting example is "G
Major Minuet," and the composer of the work is "J. S. Bach," as can
be seen on the first page 102a.
[0028] In some examples, the device 100 may include one or more
buttons 104 that a user may use to provide input to interface with
the device 100. The depicted example shows eight buttons 104, but
in other examples the device 100 may include more or fewer buttons
104, and the buttons may be at different locations on the device
100. In some examples, the buttons 104 may be omitted.
[0029] By way of musical notation background, a musical staff is an
arrangement of five horizontal lines and four spaces that separate
the lines, where each line or space of the musical staff represents
a different musical pitch. To use a mathematical analogy, the
musical staff may be considered to define a two-dimensional graph,
where a horizontal dimension of the staff generally specifies a
relative time relationship for musical notes or symbols positioned
on the staff, and where a vertical dimension of the staff specifies
a pitch relationship for the musical notes. For example, a first
note positioned left-of and lower than a second note on the staff
will have a lower pitch than the second note, and will be played
earlier in time than the second note during a performance of the
music.
[0030] With reference again to the first page 102a, a first musical
staff 105 and a second musical staff 106 are shown. The first
musical staff 105 includes a treble clef notation 108 near a left
edge of the first staff 105, and the second musical staff 106
includes a bass clef notation 110 near a left edge of the second
staff 106. In general, clef notations (e.g., treble clef 108, bass
clef 110, or other clef notations) convey a pitch context for the
associated staff, and in combination with a vertical position of a
note on the staff indicate an absolute pitch for the note.
[0031] In this example, the first staff 105 and the second staff
106 are joined together by a brace to collectively form a first
grand staff 112a. The first grand staff 112a indicates to a
musician that music on the first staff 105 and music on the second
staff 106 is to be played concurrently, typically by a single
musician. First page 102a also includes a second grand staff 112b
and a third grand staff 112c, each of which includes a treble clef
staff and a bass clef staff. The depicted musical work is intended
to be played on a piano, but other examples of sheet music may be
written for other types of musical instruments, and various
notational conventions may be used. For example, sheet music for
many types of instruments (e.g., trumpet, trombone, flute,
saxophone, and others) is typically written on a single staff and
defined by either a treble clef 108 or a base clef 110 as
appropriate for the particular instrument, but other clef types may
also be used. Some musical compositions may be arranged to include
three or more staffs joined together for concurrent play by one or
more musicians.
[0032] In general, sheet music is read from left-to-right and from
top-to-bottom. As described above, some examples of sheet music are
arranged so that each "line" of the sheet music includes one staff,
while other examples, such as the musical work shown in FIGS. 2a-b,
are arranged so that each line of the sheet music includes two
staffs, and yet other examples can have three or more staffs per
line. A musician will be familiar with typical musical notations
and conventions that are used for her particular instrument. For
example, a pianist playing the musical work in this example begins
play at the left edge of the first grand staff 112a, reads music
rightward, and after reaching the right edge of the first grand
staff 112a begins playing from the left edge of the second grand
staff 112b.
[0033] While sheet music is generally read from left-to-right and
top-to-bottom, various symbols, letters, or words can indicate a
deviation in the normal flow of the sheet music. For example, a
repeat indicator (e.g., a symbol, letter, or word) may indicate
that some or all of the music that precedes the repeat indicator
should be repeated one or more times. Similarly, a coda indicator
(e.g., a symbol, letter, or word) may indicate a forward jump in
the music, which may include skipping over some or all of the music
that follows the coda indicator. Other symbols, letters, or words
can be used to indicate where playing should resume, or to indicate
that playing should stop upon encountering the symbol, letter, or
word. These notations that alter the normal left-to-right,
top-to-bottom flow of the music may be referred to as
order-changing indicia or flow-altering indicia, for example.
[0034] A first repeat sign 114 near the end of the second grand
staff 112b indicates that play should be repeated once from the
beginning of the musical work upon first encountering the first
repeat sign 114. In this example, play is to be repeated from the
beginning of the work because of a lack of an opposite-facing
repeat sign earlier in the work. Such an opposite-facing repeat
sign (that is, a symbol like repeat sign 114 but flipped
horizontally) would indicate that only the segment of music between
the repeat signs should be repeated. Referring again to the
depicted example, the first repeat sign 114 is associated with a
first ending indicator 116 and a second ending indicator 118, which
indicate that a passage that is to repeated should be played
differently the second time it is played than the first time it is
played. In this example, the section bracketed by the first ending
indicator 116 is to be played the first time but skipped the second
time, when the section bracketed by the second ending indicator 118
is to be played.
[0035] That is, in this example a musician may play the first line
112a and the second line 112b until reaching the first repeat sign
114. The musician may then repeat the first line 112a from the
beginning and the second line 112b but may skip the section
bracketed by the first ending indicator 116 and instead play the
section bracketed by the second ending indicator 118. The musician
may then continue by playing the third line 112c, and thereafter
the lines on the second page 102b. A second repeat sign 120 at the
end of the second page 102b may indicate that the entire work
should be repeated, as described above (for example, including a
repetition of the passage specified by the first repeat sign 114 on
the first page 102a).
[0036] The foregoing is intended to describe one example of sheet
music for a musical work and how the sheet music may be read. Many
variations are possible. For example, the length of musical works
can vary widely. Some musical works may span many pages, while
others may span relatively fewer pages. Also, more or fewer
order-changing indicia may be present in other examples. As
described above, a repeat indicator 114 in conjunction with an
opposite-facing repeat indicator at an intermediate point in the
work (not shown) may indicate that only a portion of music between
the repeat indicator 114 and the opposite-facing repeat indicator
should be repeated, rather than repeating from the beginning of the
work as in this example. Instrument-specific musical notation can
also be used. For example, sheet music for a guitar can include
fingering notation, and sheet music for a piano can include
pedal-related notation, to list just a couple of examples.
[0037] Reading sheet music can be very different than, for example,
reading a traditional document or a book. For example, apart from
general differences in musical notation as compared to letters,
words, or symbols of written communicative languages, sheet music
notation may call for repetition of a passage or skipping forward
in a musical work, as described above and illustrated in the
example of FIGS. 2a-b. In some cases, forward or backward jumps
within sheet music may be across one or more pages or portions of
the sheet music.
[0038] In these cases, the electronic device 100 may automatically
update the displayed page at appropriate times to coincide with a
performance of the work, according to some examples. For example, a
musical work that includes eight pages may include a repeat sign at
the end of the eighth page that calls for repeating from the
beginning of the first page, or from a location on the second page,
third page, or other intermediate page. Similarly, a coda sign on
the sixth page may call for skipping ahead to the end of the eighth
page, to list just a couple of examples. By contrast, written
communicative languages do not generally include flow-altering
indicia that specify that a previous portion of the document or
book should be reread, or that a subsequent portion of the document
or book should be skipped.
[0039] FIGS. 3a, 3b, and 3c are depictions of an example electronic
device 200 that can be used to display sheet music for a musical
composition. For example, electronic device 200 may correspond to
the device 4 shown in FIG. 1, or the device 100 shown in FIGS.
2a-b. In FIG. 3a, the device 200 displays a first page 202a of the
composition; in FIG. 3b, the device 200 displays a second page 202b
of the composition; and in FIG. 3c, the device 200 displays a third
page 202c of the composition. In various examples, the device 200
may synchronize display of the sheet music with a musical
performance of the work. For example, the device 200 may display
the first page 202a, as shown in FIG. 3a, while a first portion of
the work is being played, may display the second page 202b, as
shown in FIG. 3b, while a second portion of the work is being
played, and may display the third page 202c, as shown in FIG. 3c,
while a third portion of the work is being played.
[0040] The title of the musical composition in the example of FIGS.
3a-c is "Fur Elise," and the composer of the work is "Beethoven,"
as can be seen on the first page 202a. The musical composition
includes a tempo descriptor 204 near a beginning of the first page
202a of the musical composition. In this example, the tempo
descriptor 204 reads "Poco moto," which means "a little motion,"
and may indicate that the composition should not be played too
briskly.
[0041] Generally, "tempo" may refer to a speed or pace at which a
musical composition or portion of the musical composition may be
played. A tempo indicator or tempo descriptor may provide a
suggestion of an appropriate tempo for the musical composition. In
general, a tempo indicator or tempo descriptor are examples of
timing information that may be associated with a musical
composition. Tempo may be indicated in a variety of ways, and may
be indicated with various levels of specificity. For example, some
musical compositions may include a specific indicator of tempo, and
other compositions may include a tempo descriptor that suggests a
general indication of tempo but does not include a precise
indication. Still other compositions may not include an indication
of tempo.
[0042] One way to specify a tempo is to indicate a number of
"beats" over a particular time interval, where a beat is a basic
time unit for music, as will be discussed further below. For
example, a typical way to indicate, or to measure, tempo is in
beats per minute ("bpm"). A beat-per-minute tempo indicator may
appear in the musical work as, for example, "100 BPM," "100 bpm,"
or "=100," for an example where one hundred beats-per-minute is the
recommended tempo. In other examples, the tempo may be specified as
a number of musical beats, for example "100," without explicitly
specifying the time period over which the beats should occur or
even otherwise indicating that the number refers to a number of
beats. In these cases, it may be assumed that the specified number
refers to a number of beats per minute, for example. In other
examples, a tempo may be specified as a time duration over which
the entire musical composition should be played, or a time duration
over which a portion (e.g., a measure, described below) of the
musical composition should be played. Each of these
"beats-per-time" conventions may specify a suggested tempo in a
relatively precise fashion.
[0043] The musical composition in the example of FIGS. 3a-c
provides another example of an indication of tempo within sheet
music. Tempo descriptor 204 provides a general indication of
tempo--"a little motion," in this example--but does not provide a
specific beats-per-time tempo. Such a tempo descriptor that is less
precise or specific may leave room for interpretation on the part
of a musician or conductor, while still providing a general
indication of a suggested tempo. For example, upon reading the
tempo descriptor 204, a first musician may play the musical
composition at about 80 bpm, a second musician may play at about 90
bpm, a third musician may play at about 100 bpm, and a fourth
musician may play at some other tempo.
[0044] There are many different tempo descriptors or timing
information indicators that can be used. For example, "Presto" to
indicate a very fast tempo (e.g., about 168-180 bpm), "Allegro" to
indicate a fast or bright tempo (e.g., about 120-167 bpm),
"Moderato," to indicate a moderate tempo (e.g., about 108-119 bpm),
"Andante" to indicate a walking pace tempo (e.g., about 76-107
bpm), "Adagio" to indicate a slow and stately tempo (e.g., about
66-75 bpm), "Largetto" to indicate a rather broad tempo (e.g.,
about 60-65 bpm), and "Largo," to indicate a very slow tempo (e.g.,
about 40-60 bpm), to list just a few examples. In various examples,
these and other tempo indicators may be modified with words or
phrases that qualify the tempo descriptor and provide additional
information. In other examples, such as the example of FIGS. 2a-b,
the musical work may not include an indicator of tempo.
[0045] Tempo can be used to affect the feel of the music, and a
piece that is played at a first tempo may generally sound much
different than the same piece played at a second tempo that is
slower or faster than the first tempo. For this reason, composers
frequently provide an indication of tempo within the sheet music to
convey a desired tempo, tempo range, or description for their
musical work.
[0046] In some examples, a composer may intend that different
portions of a musical composition have different tempos, and may
include one or more indicators of timing information, such as
additional tempo indicators or descriptors for those portions in
the sheet music. In some cases, tempo indicators later in a musical
piece can be used to specify a new tempo or to modify an original
or earlier tempo. In various examples, such later tempo indicators
may specify a new tempo without regard to a previously specified
tempo, or may specify a modification of an earlier tempo. A second
tempo indicator 206, near the end of the composition on the third
page 202c, reads "rit." and stands for "Ritardando," which means
"immediately slow down." Other examples of tempo indicators that
can modify a previously specified tempo include "accel.," which
stands for "Accelerando" and means "speed up," "Stringendo," which
means "press on faster," and "rall.," which stands for
"Rallentando" and means "gradually slow down." Another tempo
indicator 208, on the second page 202b, indicates a change in tempo
from the original tempo 204.
[0047] As described above, a beat is a basic time unit for music,
and can be used as a way of counting time when playing a piece of
music. Beats give music a rhythmic pattern, and may be considered
to define an underlying pulse for the music. A composer may
determine both an appropriate tempo and an appropriate beat
structure for a musical work while composing the work, and may
include notation in the sheet music to indicate these choices. Some
musicians may use a metronome configured to produce an audible
pulse at a desired tempo while playing a musical work, and may play
the musical work such that the beats of the music coincide with the
metronome pulses. Other musicians may not use a metronome, and may
prefer to mentally track the beats of the music while playing the
musical work. A conductor leading a band or orchestra may move her
arms in a rhythmic pattern that may convey beats of the music to
performers in the band or orchestra.
[0048] In some examples, the device 200 may display or produce an
indication of the beat while the music is being played. For
example, a visual (e.g., on the display screen) or audible (e.g.,
via a speaker) indication of the beat may be provided. In some
examples, the device may highlight the musical notes or rests of
the composition, and may do so in synchronization with the playing
of the music. This may aid the performer in keeping time with the
music. In some examples, the device 200 may indicate a "start"
signal to covey that play should begin. In some examples, the
device may sense play beginning (e.g., via a microphone), and may
synchronize display of the music with the performance. In some
examples, an input to the device (e.g., a button 104 press, tap of
touch screen, or other haptic input) may indicate that play is
beginning
[0049] A "measure" is a sheet music convention that can be used to
define a segment of music over which a predetermined number of
musical beats occur. With reference to the third page 202c, a first
measure 210a, second measure 210b, third measure 210c, and fourth
measure 210d are shown. Measures may be separated by vertical bars,
and a first bar 212a separates measures 210a and 210b, a second bar
212b separates measures 210b and 210c, and a third bar 212c
separates measures 210c and 210d. For example, each of measures
210a-d (and other measures of the depicted musical work) defines a
segment of music that corresponds to a common number of musical
beats. Measures and bars are here described with respect to a first
line 214 of the third page 202c, but as can be seen in FIGS. 3a-c,
the musical work is segmented into measures, separated by bars,
throughout the work.
[0050] The depicted musical composition also includes time
signature indicators 216. A time signature 216 is a musical
notation that may indicate a number of beats per measure of the
musical composition. The time signature 216 may also indicate a
type of musical note that is associated with a single beat for the
composition. Time signatures typically appear in a musical work as
two numbers, one on top of the other. The top number may indicate a
number of beats per measure, and the bottom number may indicate
that a particular type of musical note is to be associated with a
single musical beat for the composition.
[0051] In this example, the time signature is "3/4," as indicated
by the time signature indicators 216. The upper number ("3" in this
example) indicates that there are three beats per measure.
Generally in this example, measures (e.g., measures 210a-d) of the
musical work may define a musical segment over which three beats
occur. Musical notes or musical rests within each measure may be
played or observed by a musician over a time period corresponding
to three beats. In other examples, the time signature may indicate
two, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or some other number of
beats per measure. The lower number of the time signature ("4" in
this example) indicates that a "quarter note" is associated with
one musical beat.
[0052] Time signature 216 is an example of a "simple" time
signature (others include 2/4 or 4/4), but compound (e.g., 9/8,
12/8), mixed (e.g., 5/8, 3/8, 6/8), additive, fractional,
irrational or other types of time signatures can alternatively be
used. Just as tempo indicators can appear at the beginning of a
piece and at intermediate points throughout the piece, one or more
new time signatures may be used to change a time signature (e.g.,
number of beats per measure or type of note associated with one
beat, or both) at one or more interim points of the piece.
[0053] As described above, each measure of a musical work
ordinarily may be associated with a common number of musical beats,
typically as indicated by a top number of a time signature. Each
such measure may include one or more musical notes or musical rests
that collectively correspond to the common number of musical beats.
An exception to this general rule is illustrated in the depicted
musical work, where a first measure 218 and a last measure 220 each
include fewer than the common number of beats, but together include
the common number of beats. For example, the first measure 218
includes musical notation that corresponds to one beat, and the
last measure 220 includes musical notation that corresponds to two
beats. When considered together, the first beat of the first
measure 218 and the second and third beats of the last measure 220
sum to three beats, which represents the common number of beats per
measure for the work. An initial measure that includes fewer than
the time-signature-indicated number of beats, such as measure 218,
may be referred to as a "pickup" measure.
[0054] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device
300 that can be used to display sheet music for a musical
composition. Device 300 may correspond to any of devices 4, 100, or
200, for example. The device 300 includes one or more processors
302, a memory device 304, and a data storage device 306. The
discussion that follows will assume one processor 302, but some
examples may include two or more processors. The processor 302 may
implement or execute instructions to perform methods, processes, or
techniques discussed herein. The processor 302 may be a
microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor
(DSP), or one or more instantiated cores of an application specific
integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device, such as a
field programmable gate array (FPGA), to list just a few examples.
In some examples, memory device 304 may be a volatile memory
device, and in other examples may be a non-volatile memory device.
Data storage 306 may provide non-volatile storage for firmware,
software, musical work files, data or parameters that can be used
to aid in display of sheet music of musical works, interface data
or parameters, access data or parameters, or other data or
parameters that may be used to implement the techniques discussed
herein.
[0055] In some examples, software, firmware, code comprising
instructions or data may be loaded from data storage 306 to memory
device 304, and may be executed or operated on by processor 302. In
some examples, processor 302 may include on-chip memory, such as a
cache, into which instructions or data may be loaded and operated
upon.
[0056] A display 310 may be used to display information that may be
viewed by a user. For example, the display 310 may be used to
display sheet music, and in some examples may also be used to
display text, icons, graphics, video or other visual
representations to provide user interface output that a user may
view. In various examples, display 310 may also be used for receipt
of user interface input from a user. Display 310 may correspond to
display 4, display 103, or the display shown in FIGS. 3a-c. In some
examples, the display 310 may be an e-ink display screen. In some
examples, the display 310 may be foldable. In some examples, the
display 310 may be a flat panel display. In some examples, the
display 310 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD). In some
examples, the display 310 may be a touch screen, and the device 300
may be responsive to tactile inputs to the touch screen, including
inputs made by hand or with a stylus, for example. In various
examples, the display 310 may display sheet music in full color, or
in black-and-white, monochrome, or gray scale. Display 310 may be
of any appropriate physical size. For example, display 310 may be
sized for a mobile phone or a smart phone, for a tablet PC, for a
large e-ink display (e.g., 8.5''.times.11''), or for larger
displays, such as for televisions, or even for projection
screens.
[0057] Device 300, and display 310, may be sized differently for
different applications. For example, the device 300 and the display
310 may have a relatively small form factor (e.g., about the size
of a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant (PDA)) for
applications where increased size may be an inconvenience. One such
application may be for members of a marching band or a pep band,
where the device may be mounted to an instrument, for example. In
other cases, the device 300 and the display 310 may have a somewhat
larger size, and may be sized to fit on a music stand, for example
(e.g., see discussion below with respect to FIGS. 5a-c). In some
examples, the device 300 and the display 310 may be integrated with
a musical instrument. For example, the device 300 and display 310
may be inset in a piano.
[0058] A network interface 308 can be used, for example, to
communicably couple electronic device 300 with other computing
devices over a network, such as network 6. For example, network
interface 308 may be used to when the electronic device 300
communicates with the music vendor 8, the music repository 10, one
or more other electronic devices 300, a PDA, a mobile phone, a
smart phone, a handheld music player (e.g., an MP-3 player), or
some other type of computing device over network 6. In addition to
the types of networks discussed above, network interface 308 may
also be used to facilitate communications between device 300 and
one or more other computing devices over a Bluetooth network, or
the like. Network interface 308 may include one or more interface
ports to provide interface connectivity with other devices.
Examples of ports can include universal serial bus (USB) ports,
Ethernet ports, serial or parallel communication ports, compact
disc (CD) or digital versatile disc (DVD) drives, firewire ports,
or other data ports.
[0059] A speaker 309 may be used to provide audible output. For
example, the speaker 309 may provide an audible indication of a
beat for music that is displayed on display 310. A microphone 311
may be used to receive audible input. For example, the microphone
311 may be used to sense a beginning of play of music displayed on
display 310. In some examples, the microphone can be used to sense
notes of displayed sheet music that are being played by a
musician.
[0060] Device 300 also includes a group of modules 312, including a
synchronization module 314, a user interface (UI) module 316, an
access module 318, and a conversion module 320. Synchronization
module 314 may correspond to the synchronization module 14 shown in
FIG. 1, for example. Synchronization module 314 can be used to
synchronize display of one or more portions of sheet music for a
musical composition with a performance of the musical composition,
and in some examples includes a partitioning sub-module 322, a
tempo sub-module 324, a flow-altering sub-module 326, a portion
scheduling sub-module 328, and a timing sub-module 330.
[0061] In various examples, any of the modules or sub-modules in
the group of modules 312 may be implemented in or be operable to be
executed by the processor 302. In some examples, one or more of the
modules or sub-modules may comprise hardware, software, firmware,
or a combination of the foregoing. In some examples, one or more of
the modules or sub-modules, or a portion thereof, may be
implemented within processor 302. In some examples, the modules
and/or sub-modules may reside in data storage 306 or in memory
device 304. In various examples, the modules or sub-modules may be
combined or separated in various fashions, and additional or fewer
modules or sub-modules may be used. Although the modules 312 are
shown coupled to a bus in FIG. 4, in various examples the modules
312 could be implemented in various different ways.
[0062] The partitioning sub-module 322 may be used to partition
sheet music for a musical work into two or more portions of sheet
music. The partitioning sub-module 322 may provide the portion
scheduling sub-module 328 with information relating to the sheet
music partitions, which may be used in scheduling sheet music for
display. For example, the two or more portions of sheet music may
be displayed on the display 310 at appropriate times.
[0063] The partitioning sub-module 322 may consider several factors
and may determine an appropriate partition schedule for a musical
work. Examples of such factors can include length of the musical
work, complexity of the musical work or of one or more portions of
the musical work, display 310 size, music tempo, music time
signature, or locations of flow-altering indicia or tempo
indicators or descriptors within the sheet music. In some examples,
partitioning sub-module 322 may receive tempo and time signature
information from the tempo sub-module, and may receive
flow-altering indicia information from the flow-altering sub-module
326, and may use this information in determining an appropriate
partition of the musical work into portions.
[0064] Other factors that can influence a partition schedule can
include user preferences, such as a preference for a particular
number of musical staffs or lines for display at one time on the
display 310, or for a preferred magnification ratio or displayed
size of the music on the display 310. Some users may prefer to view
an entire page, or two or more pages, of sheet music while playing
the music, for example, while other users may prefer to view less
than an entire page of sheet music while playing the music. Some
users may prefer to view enlarged versions of the sheet music, for
example if they have diminished eyesight or if the display 310 size
is relatively small for a particular application (for example, for
an application where the display device 300 is mounted on a trumpet
or other instrument for a marching band performance).
[0065] In some examples, the device 300 may operate in one of a
plurality of display modes. For example, the device 300 may operate
in a first mode and display one full page of music. Alternatively,
the device 300 may operate in a second mode and display less than
one page of music. Stated another way, in the first mode, the
partitioning sub-module 322 may partition the sheet music into
portions of music where each portion includes an entire page of the
sheet music. In the second mode, the partitioning sub-module 322
may partition the sheet music into portions of music where each
portion includes less than an entire page of the sheet music. Other
display modes, such as a third mode where the device may display
two pages of music concurrently--that is, where the partitioning
sub-module 322 may partition the sheet music into portions that
include two pages of sheet music--can also be used.
[0066] In some examples, the device 300 may operate in a mode where
music associated with two or more instruments is concurrently
displayed. In an example where two musicians are performing a duet
(e.g., playing the same or different instrument types), each
musician's device 300 may display sheet music for one or both of
the instruments. This concept of displaying a primary portion of
music, and one or more secondary portions of music (e.g.,
corresponding to another musician's piece), can be extended to
trios, quartets, or even to an entire orchestra, for example.
Display of the various portions may be synchronized across a
network, as will be discussed in more detail below with respect to
FIG. 6.
[0067] The tempo sub-module 324 may be used to identify tempo
indicators (e.g., "120 bpm," or "=120,") or tempo descriptors
(e.g., tempo descriptors 204, 206, 208 or any of the tempo
descriptors discussed above with reference to FIG. 3, and others as
known in the musical art) within the sheet music. The tempo
sub-module 324 may provide the portion scheduling sub-module 328
with tempo information, which may be used in scheduling sheet music
for display. In some examples, the tempo sub-module 324 may access
a database that includes beats-per-time data (e.g., a
beats-per-minute value or range) stored in association with tempo
descriptors (e.g., any of the tempo descriptors discussed above
with reference to FIG. 3, or others known in the musical arts).
[0068] For example, the tempo sub-module 324 may identify tempo
descriptor 204 in the musical work depicted in FIG. 3a, and may
access a table or database where a beats-per-time value (e.g., 90
bpm) is associated with tempo descriptor 204 to obtain the value.
The device 300 may then use the value to synchronize display of the
music with a performance of the music. As another example, the
tempo sub-module may identify an "allegro" tempo descriptor in
sheet music and access a table or database to obtain a value (e.g.,
130 bpm) associated with a database entry corresponding to an
"allegro" tempo. The database may be stored in data storage 306,
for example.
[0069] The tempo sub-module 324 may also identify one or more time
signatures, such as time signature 216, in the musical work. The
tempo sub-module 324 may provide information from the time
signature, such as a number of beats-per-measure or a type of note
that specifies a single beat, to the timing sub-module 330. In some
cases, the tempo sub-module 324 may access a database or table to
retrieve information pertaining to the identified time signature,
and may provide this information to the timing sub-module 330.
[0070] The tempo sub-module 324 may determine or derive a timing
parameter for the musical composition, and may provide the timing
parameter to the timing sub-module 330. The tempo sub-module 324
may receive a first electronic input, which may indicate timing
information for the musical composition. For example, the first
input may indicate a number of musical beats. In some examples, the
input may further indicate a time length over which the number of
musical beats is to span. The input may be a beats-per-time
indicator. In some examples, the input may be a tempo indicator or
tempo descriptor, as described above, and may be received, for
example, by identifying the tempo indicator or tempo descriptor in
the sheet music. Alternatively, the input may be received via a
user interface, such as via buttons 104, for example.
[0071] In some examples, the timing parameter may indicate a
time-per-musical beat for the musical composition. Deriving the
timing parameter may include dividing a time period by a number of
musical beats. For example, if the input specifies 100 beats, or
100 beats-per-minute, the timing parameter may indicate a
time-per-musical beat of 0.01 minutes (i.e., 0.6 seconds).
[0072] In other examples, the timing parameter may indicate a
time-per-measure for the musical composition. Deriving the timing
parameter may include dividing a time period by a number of musical
beats, and multiplying the result by a number of beats per measure.
For example, if the input specifies 100 beats, or 100
beats-per-minute, and if the time signature indicates three beats
per measure, the timing parameter may indicate a time-per-measure
beat of 0.03 minutes (i.e., 1.8 seconds).
[0073] The flow-altering sub-module 326 may be used to identify
flow-altering indicia, such as repeat signs 114, 120, first ending
indicator 116, second ending indicator 118, other types of repeat
signs (e.g., opposite-facing repeat signs), coda indicators, or
other types of order-changing symbols, words, phrases, or the like
that may appear in sheet music. As described above, flow-altering
indicia may be any symbol, letter, word, or phrase that indicates a
deviation from the normal left-to-right and top-to-bottom flow of
sheet music. The flow-altering sub-module 326 may provide the
portion scheduling sub-module 328 with flow-altering information,
which may be used in scheduling sheet music for display. An example
of information that can be provided may include where the
flow-altering indicia are found in the sheet music.
[0074] The portion scheduling sub-module 328 may receive and/or
process input from one or more of the partitioning sub-module 322
and the flow-altering sub-module 326 and may determine a display
schedule for the portions of sheet music. For example, the portion
scheduling sub-module 328 may determine an ordering that the
various sheet music portions may be displayed on display 310. As
one example, if there are no flow-altering indicia in the musical
work, the ordering may call for contiguous portions of the sheet
music to be display successively (e.g., first portion, second
portion, third portion, . . . , where each succeeding portion is
contiguous with the portion just previously displayed).
[0075] In other examples, an ordering may call for a second portion
to be displayed following a first portion, where the second portion
is not contiguous with the first portion. In some examples, the
second portion may precede the first portion in the musical work
(for example, if the second portion is an earlier portion that is
now being repeated). In some examples, the second portion may also
come later than the first portion in the musical work (for example,
if the second portion is being skipped ahead to).
[0076] The timing sub-module 330 may determine one or more time
durations that may be associated with a portion of a musical work.
In some examples, for each portion of the musical work identified
by the partitioning sub-module 322, the timing sub-module 330 may
determine a time duration associated with the respective portion.
In some examples, the timing sub-module 330 may determine a time
duration for a portion that corresponds to a duration that the
portion should be displayed. The timing sub-module 330 may use
information received from the tempo sub-module 324, such as a
timing parameter derived by the tempo sub-module 324 and described
above.
[0077] In some examples, the timing sub-module 330 may determine
the time duration for a portion by multiplying a
time-per-musical-beat for the musical composition by a number of
musical beats associated with the portion. In some examples, the
timing sub-module 330 may determine the time duration for a portion
by multiplying a time-per-measure for the musical composition by a
number of measures associated with the portion.
[0078] In some examples, the timing sub-module 330 may be used as
one or more timers to measure a time corresponding to one or more
time durations associated with a musical work or with portions of
the musical work. The timer may be started to measure time from a
beginning of a portion of sheet music. The timing sub-module 330
may provide a signal following an expiration of the time duration,
and the device 300 may update the display 310 to show a next
portion of sheet music. For example, the device may display the
next scheduled portion defined by the portion scheduling sub-module
328.
[0079] In some examples, the timing sub-module 330 may be used to
track a position within a portion of displayed sheet music while
the sheet music is being performed. For example, the device 300 may
display an indicator of position within the displayed portion of
sheet music on the display 310. As one example, corresponding notes
or rests may be highlighted or otherwise referenced to coincide
with the performance of the work. As another example, an indicator
(e.g., a line or arrow) below or above a current position in the
displayed music may be provided.
[0080] The UI module 316 may be used to implement a user interface.
For example, the UI module 316 may receive input signals from one
or more input devices. Examples of input devices may include the
input buttons 104 shown in FIGS. 2a-b or FIGS. 3a-c. In other
examples, the device 300 may include a full keyboard, and the UI
module may interpret signals received from the keyboard. In some
examples, the UI module 316 may interpret input received via a
touch screen, as described above, or via a microphone. In some
cases, UI module 316 may receive input that specifies or indicates
timing information for the musical composition. In some examples,
UI module 316 may be used to receive user input such as comments,
notes, reminders, or the like. For example, a user may use a stylus
to write a comment on a touch screen display of the device, and the
UI module may interpret the comment. The UI module 316 may include
handwriting recognition capability in some examples. In some
examples, received notes or comments may be transmitted to other
electronic devices, and the notes or comments may be displayed on
the other electronic devices, as will be discussed below with
reference to FIG. 6.
[0081] The access module 318 may be used to access and acquire
musical works, such as from the music vendor 308 or the music
repository 310. In some examples, the electronic device 300 may
include one or more communication ports, such as a universal serial
bus (USB) port, a port for receiving a memory card or a flash
memory card (e.g., a compact flash card, a secure digital (SD),
miniSD, or microSD memory card, a compact disk drive, a firewire
port, or other type of communication port, and the access module
318 may be used to interface to the one or more ports. In some
examples, a user may upload sheet music to the electronic device
300, and the music may be stored and displayed on the device.
[0082] The conversion module 320 may be used to convert between
file types for musical works. Examples of file formats that musical
works or sheet music for the musical works can be stored in may
include portable document format (PDF), tagged image file format
(TIFF), text, document, and others. In some examples, the
conversion module 320 may be able to take a sound file and convert
it into a sheet music file. For example, the module 320 may take a
MIDI, MP3, MP4, or other type of sound file and convert it to a
sheet music file.
[0083] FIGS. 5a, 5b, and 5c are depictions of an exemplary device
400 that can be used to display sheet music. The device 400 may
display sheet music on an electronic display screen 402 for a
musical composition, and may correspond to any of devices 4, 100,
200, or 300. In various examples, the device 400 may display one or
more portions of the musical composition, and may display the
portions to coincide with a performance of the musical work. In
FIG. 5a, the device 400 is displaying the first page 202a of the
musical composition shown in FIGS. 3a-c and described above. In
FIG. 5b, the device 400 is displaying the second page 202b of the
musical composition, and in FIG. 5c, the device 400 is displaying
the third page 202c of the musical composition.
[0084] As can be seen in FIGS. 5a-c, the exemplary device 400 has a
larger form factor than the devices shown in FIGS. 2a-b or in FIGS.
3a-c. The device 400 may have a form factor that is adopted for
music stands, for example. Device 400 includes a display screen
402, on which sheet music may be displayed. Buttons 414 may be used
to provide input in some examples.
[0085] A music stand 404 includes a support member 406, a pedestal
404 attached at a first end to the support member 404, and a base
406 attached to an opposite end of the pedestal 404. In some
examples, the device 400 and the music stand 404 may be integrated
as a single unit. In other examples, the device 400 and the music
stand 404 may not be integrated, and the device 400 may be placed
on the support member 406. In some examples, a height of the stand
404 may adjustable, as by loosening an adjustment knob 412,
lengthening or shortening a portion of the pedestal 404, and
tightening the adjustment knob 412.
[0086] Device 400 may be sized for various applications. For
example, the device 400 in FIGS. 5a-c has a form factor that may
permit it to display multiple pages of music concurrently. In the
depicted examples, a single sheet is shown. As described above, the
partitioning sub-module 322 may determine an appropriate portion
size and number of portions for the musical work, where screen size
may be one factor in making the determination.
[0087] FIG. 6 is block diagram of an exemplary system 500 that
includes a plurality of communicably coupled music devices 502a,
502b, 502c, 502d, 502e, 502f, 502g. The devices may communicate
with one another over a network 504, for example. The music devices
502a, 502b, 502c, 502d, 502e, 502f, 502g may correspond to any of
devices 4, 100, 200, 300, or 400, for example, and network 504 may
correspond to network 6. In this example, device 502a may be used
by a conductor of a band or an orchestra, and devices 502b, 502c,
502d, 502e, 502f, and 502g may be used by instrument-playing
members of the band or orchestra. For example, device 502b may be
used by a trombone player, device 502c may be used by a saxophone
player, device 502d may be used by a trumpet player, device 502e
may be used by a percussion player, device 502f may be used by a
clarinet player, and device 502g may be used by a flute player. In
a typical orchestra, of course, there would be many more devices
502, but for simplicity a reduced number of devices 502 are shown
in FIG. 6. Any of the devices 502a-g may correspond to any of
devices 4, 100, 200, 300, or 400, for example.
[0088] Music display device 502a may display the conductor's score,
or master sheet music 508 on a display 506a of the device 502a.
Music display device 502b may display sheet music 510 for a first
instrument (e.g., a trombone) on a display 506b of the device 502b.
Music display device 502c may display sheet music 512 for a second
instrument (e.g., a saxophone) on a display 506c of the device
502c. Music display device 502d may display sheet music 514 for a
third instrument (e.g., a trumpet) on a display 506d of the device
502d. Music display device 502e may display sheet music 516 for a
fourth instrument (e.g., percussion) on a display 506e of the
device 502e. Music display device 502f may display sheet music 518
for a fifth instrument (e.g., a clarinet) on a display 506f of the
device 502f. Music display device 502g may display sheet music 520
for a sixth instrument (e.g., a flute) on a display 506g of the
device 502g.
[0089] In some examples, one of the music display devices 502 may
send a message to one, some, or all of the other music display
devices 502. For example, the conductor may provide an input to
music display device 502a, and device 502a may send a message to
each of music display devices 502b-g over network 504. Suppose that
the orchestra is playing a musical work, and is approaching the
final few measures of the work. The conductor may want to ask all
of the orchestra members for a "big finish," which may indicate
that the conductor wants the members to play with extra emotion
over the final few measures. The conductor may provide one or more
inputs to device 502a, such as by writing "BIG FINISH!" on a touch
screen of device 502a with a stylus, and the device 502a may
transmit a message to each of the other devices 502b-g over the
network 504. The member devices 502b-g may each receive the
message, and may display on their respective displays 506b-g the
words "BIG FINISH!" In this fashion, the conductor may communicate
messages to one or more members of the orchestra via the music
display devices 502 in real time.
[0090] In some examples, one of the music display devices 502 may
send a message to one, some, or all of the other music display
devices 502 to synchronize the devices 502 in time. For example, a
conductor's music display device 502a may send such a message to
each of music display devices 502b-g over network 504. In one
example, such a message may indicate a start of a performance, and
each of the respective display devices 502 may begin timing with
respect to the received message or start of the performance. In
some aspects, one or more periodic synchronization messages may be
sent during the performance. In other examples, such
synchronization messages may not be used.
[0091] In other examples, the conductor may use device 502a to send
a message to only one member of the orchestra (e.g., "Pay
attention, Bill," "Not so eager, Sara," "More, Jake," "Slower" to
Emily), or to members of one group of instruments (e.g., "More
trombone," to all trombone-playing members of the orchestra). In
some examples, the conductor may target a subset of a group of
instruments. For example, the conductor may send a message to all
third-chair trumpet players to reduce their volume of playing if
they are overshadowing the first- and second-chair trumpets.
[0092] The messages may be displayed at the receiving devices
502b-g in various fashions. In one example, an area of the
corresponding display 506b-g may be reserved for displaying
messages, and the message may be displayed in the reserved area,
such as for a predetermined period of time. In another example, the
message may be displayed in a popup window, or the like, for a
predetermined period of time. For example, the receiving device
502b-g may display the message on a portion of the corresponding
display screen 506b-g that is unlikely to disrupt the musician yet
still likely to convey the message. As one example, the message may
appear on the display 506b-g above or below the portion of the
sheet music currently being played.
[0093] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a method
600 that may be performed by an electronic device to display sheet
music. For example, the method 600 may be performed by any of
devices 4, 100, 200, 300, 400, or 502a-g. An electronic input that
indicates timing information is received (602). In some examples,
the input that indicates timing information can be derived from
character analysis or pattern recognition of a time signature or
other timing information within the sheet music. The
synchronization modules discussed herein may be configured to
implement character analysis or pattern recognition, according to
some aspects. In some examples, the electronic input may indicate a
number of musical beats. The input may indicate, for example, a
number of musical beats over a period of time, such as a number of
beats per minute. The input may alternatively be a tempo descriptor
that describes a tempo. Examples of tempo descriptors can include
"Allegro," "Moderato," "Andante," "Andantino," or any of the many
tempo descriptors known in the musical arts. Examples of other
inputs that can indicate timing information include an input that
indicates a time period, such as a period of time that the entire
musical work or a portion (e.g., one measure) of the musical work
may be played in.
[0094] In some examples the electronic input may be received from a
user via a user interface of the device. In some examples the input
may be received by identifying a tempo indicator or tempo
descriptor in the sheet music. In some examples, receiving the
input may include accessing, from an electronic storage location,
an indicator of a predetermined number of musical beats associated
with the tempo descriptor. For example, a database may be queried
with an identified tempo descriptor and one or more values
associated with the tempo descriptor may be returned.
[0095] A timing parameter may be determined using the received
electronic input indicating the timing information (604). In some
examples, the timing parameter may indicate a time-per-musical-beat
for the musical composition. Determining the timing parameter can
include dividing a time period by a number of musical beats. In
some examples, the timing parameter can indicate a time per measure
of the sheet music, and deriving the time parameter can include
dividing a time period by a number of musical beats, and
multiplying the result by a number of beats per measure.
[0096] In some examples, more than one timing parameter may be
determined for a particular musical composition. This may occur,
for example, when a musical composition includes two or more tempo
indicators or tempo descriptors, which may indicate that different
tempos are desired for different portions of the musical work. More
than one timing parameter may also be determined, for example, when
a time signature changes within a musical work.
[0097] Sheet music for a first portion of the musical composition
may be displayed (606). In some examples, a musical work may be
partitioned into two or more portions so that individual portions
may be separately displayed on the device.
[0098] A time duration associated with the first portion may be
determined based on the timing parameter (608). The device may use
the derived timing parameter to determine a time duration for each
of the partitioned portions for the musical composition. In cases
where more than one timing parameter has been derived, as described
above, determining the time duration for a particular portion may
include using the appropriate one or more timing parameters for the
particular portion.
[0099] In some examples, determining a time duration for a portion
of sheet music may include using two or more timing parameters. For
example, if a first timing parameter applies to a first section of
a given portion, and a second timing parameter applies to a second
section of the given portion, the first timing parameter may be
used to determine a first sub-duration that corresponds to the
first section of the portion, and the second timing parameter may
be used to determine a second sub-duration that corresponds to the
second section of the portion. The first and second sub-durations
may be added in this example to determine a time duration for the
portion. This example can be extended to any appropriate number of
timing parameters (e.g., three, four, five, and so on) that may
apply to a particular portion of the sheet music.
[0100] Sheet music for a second portion of the musical composition
may be displayed following an expiration of the time duration for
the first portion of the musical composition (610). A timer may be
used to measure a time corresponding to the time duration
associated with the first portion, and the time may be measured
from a beginning of the first portion. For example, display of the
sheet music for the musical composition may be synchronized with a
performance of the musical composition (potentially across an
orchestra), and displayed page updates from a first portion of
sheet music to a second portion of sheet music on the device may
occur at or near the time that the corresponding performance of the
musical composition transitions from music represented by the first
portion of sheet music to music represented by the second portion
of sheet music.
[0101] In some examples, display of the sheet music for the first
portion may be discontinued following the expiration of the time
duration, so that only the sheet music for the second portion is
displayed. In other examples, sheet music for the first portion may
be continued to be displayed following the expiration of the time
duration, so that sheet music for both the first portion and the
second portion is displayed. In yet other examples, sheet music for
a subset of the first portion (e.g., the last measure, the last two
measures, or the last few measures of the portion) may be continued
to be displayed following the expiration of the time duration, so
that sheet music for both the first portion and the second portion
is displayed. Continuing to display sheet music for the first
portion or a subset of the first portion following the expiration
of the time duration may promote a smooth transition between
portions by allowing some display overlap of the portions, or
subsets thereof
[0102] In various aspects, the time duration for a given portion of
sheet music may correspond to a time equal to, or shorter than, a
time over which sheet music for the portion is designed to be
played, for example according to timing information associated with
the musical composition. In some examples, the time duration may
correspond to a time over which the entire portion of sheet music
is designed to be played. In other examples, the time duration may
correspond to a time over which some subset of the portion of sheet
music is designed to be played. As one example, the time duration
may correspond to a time over which one measure of the portion is
designed to be played. For example, the time duration may
correspond to a time over which a last measure of the portion is
designed to be played, and the time duration may be measured from a
beginning of the last measure of the portion. As other examples,
the time duration may correspond to a time to play the entire
portion except for a predetermined number of notes, beats, or
measures at or near the end of the portion. In yet other examples,
the time duration can correspond to a time longer than a time over
which sheet music for the portion is designed to be played.
[0103] In some examples, a setting may influence when the device
updates the display during a transition between display of a first
portion and a second portion of sheet music. For example, some
users may prefer that the transition occurs immediately after the
last note in the last measure is played. Other users may prefer
that the transition occurs, for example, a predetermined number of
beats (e.g., one-quarter beat, one-half beat, one beat, two beats,
three beats, four beats, and so on) before the final beat of the
portion.
[0104] In some examples, display transitions between portions of
sheet music may be somewhat gradual. For example, at the expiration
of the time duration or at some predetermined time before the
expiration of the time duration, the displayed (e.g., first)
portion of sheet music may move leftward, as if being scrolled to
the right, and the portion to be displayed (e.g., second) may
similarly move leftward and replace the first portion.
Alternatively, display transitions between portions of sheet music
may be relatively abrupt, and the second portion of sheet music may
replace the first portion on the display at the expiration of the
time duration or at some predetermined time before the expiration,
as discussed above.
[0105] In some examples, more than one portion of sheet music may
be displayed at the same time. For example, a first portion of
sheet music may be displayed on a first area of the display, and a
second portion of sheet music may concurrently be displayed on a
second area of the display. In some examples, the device may
highlight, border, emphasize, or otherwise indicate which of the
displayed portions of sheet music is currently active or being
played by the musician, or in some cases is about to be played. As
one example, when a repeat symbol is encountered during play of a
first portion, and the repeat symbol indicates that a section of
music from an earlier portion of sheet music should be repeated,
the earlier portion may be displayed together with the first
portion on the display. In this example, the device may highlight,
for example, the earlier portion while this portion is being
played, which may be indicated by a timing function provided by the
synchronization module 314. Display of the earlier portion may be
discontinued when play returns to the first portion, for
example.
[0106] In some examples, the second portion of the musical
composition may be contiguous with the first portion of the musical
composition. Stated another way, when the device updates the
display and displays a second portion of sheet music following
display of a first portion of sheet music, the second portion may
follow directly from the first portion in the sheet music. In some
examples, the second portion of the musical composition may not be
contiguous with the first portion of the musical composition. That
is, the second portion may not follow directly from the first
portion within the sheet music for the musical composition, and may
either represent a jump backward or a jump forward in the sheet
music. In some examples, the second portion of sheet music may
precede the first portion of sheet music within the musical
composition. In some examples, the second portion of sheet music
may come later than the first portion of sheet music within the
musical composition, and there may be one or more other portions of
sheet music within the musical composition between the first and
second portions.
[0107] In some examples, a user may be able to alter the tempo
during play. In some cases, this may be done in real time, and in
other cases the user may provide an input that causes the device to
pause. During the pause, the tempo may be adjusted, and play may
resume at the new tempo. For example, when playing a piece for the
first time, a musician may find it difficult to play at the
suggested tempo, and may pause (e.g., by pressing one of the
buttons 104) the device and provide an input that indicates a tempo
that is slower than the suggested tempo. Play may then resume at
the slower tempo from the point in the sheet music where play was
paused, or in some cases may restart from the beginning with the
slower tempo.
[0108] The techniques described in this disclosure may be
implemented within one or more of a general purpose microprocessor,
digital signal processor (DSP), application specific integrated
circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable
logic device (PLD), or other equivalent logic devices. Accordingly,
the terms "processor" or "controller," as used herein, may refer to
any one or more of the foregoing structures or any other structure
suitable for example of the techniques described herein.
[0109] The various components illustrated herein may be realized by
any suitable combination of hardware, software, or firmware. In the
figures, various components are depicted as separate units or
modules. However, all or several of the various components
described with reference to these figures may be integrated into
combined units or modules within common hardware, firmware, and/or
software. Accordingly, the representation of features as
components, units or modules is intended to highlight particular
functional features for ease of illustration, and does not
necessarily require realization of such features by separate
hardware, firmware, or software components. In some cases, various
units may be implemented as programmable processes performed by one
or more processors.
[0110] Any features described herein as modules, devices, or
components may be implemented together in an integrated logic
device or separately as discrete but interoperable logic devices.
In various aspects, such components may be formed at least in part
as one or more integrated circuit devices, which may be referred to
collectively as an integrated circuit device, such as an integrated
circuit chip or chipset. Such circuitry may be provided in a single
integrated circuit chip device or in multiple, interoperable
integrated circuit chip devices, and may be used in any of a
variety of image, display, audio, or other multi-multimedia
applications and devices. In some aspects, for example, such
components may form part of a mobile device, such as a wireless
communication device handset (e.g., a mobile telephone
handset).
[0111] If implemented in software, the techniques may be realized
at least in part by a computer-readable data storage medium
comprising code with instructions that, when executed by one or
more processors, performs one or more of the methods described
above. The computer-readable storage medium may form part of a
computer program product, which may include packaging materials.
The computer-readable medium may comprise random access memory
(RAM) such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM),
read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM),
electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM),
embedded dynamic random access memory (eDRAM), static random access
memory (SRAM), flash memory, magnetic or optical data storage
media. Any software that is utilized may be executed by one or more
processors, such as one or more DSP's, general purpose
microprocessors, ASIC's, FPGA's, or other equivalent integrated or
discrete logic circuitry.
[0112] Various aspects have been described in this disclosure.
These and other aspects are within the scope of the following
claims.
* * * * *